A/N: A little bonding moment between Severus and Azalea this chapter.
Chapter 6 Forging Connections
About a week after Lily's shocking confession, Severus woke on a cool, Monday morning a little later than was usual for him. He groaned tiredly as he kicked aside his quilt, grabbed a change of clothes and headed for his bathroom to freshen up and get ready for the day. For the most part, Severus' day would be spent indoors with the exception of his usual meeting with Frank in the morning before breakfast, as well as a meeting with two of his most senior rangers, Wayne and Maryanne, in the afternoon. After dressing in a comfortable pair of shorts and a t-shirt, he headed out of his room along the upstairs hall towards the stairs. The darkness and silence of the house lent some peace to Severus' mind as he crept down the stairs, but the creak of a floorboard coming from what sounded like the sitting room had the man on high alert, his wand in his palm in the blink of an eye. The footsteps he heard were quiet, far quieter than those that might belong to an adult, and since the rangers weren't supposed to arrive at the reserve for another hour, he had a good idea as to who it might be.
"Lumos," Severus whispered, lighting his wand. He crept forward down the first floor hall towards the door to the sitting room. "Harry? Azalea?"
He turned the corner, exhaling audibly as he spotted Azalea sat on the couch, reaching for the light-switch on the lamp. Severus could hardly see her, but could just about recognize her from her head of red hair.
"U-Uncle Sev?" Azalea stammered. "I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to w-wake—"
"You didn't," Severus said swiftly, lowering his wand from his face and reaching for the light switch. He flipped the switch, the lights in the ceiling flickering on and flooding the room with light. He extinguished the light on his wand, pocketed it, and shifted his gaze towards the fretful-looking Azalea. "I was awake already, but I heard you as I was coming down the stairs. Does your mum know you're awake?"
Azalea bit her lip, and shook her head. Severus observed the bags under her eyes and knew from that alone that she'd had a bad night sleep. Lily had told him last week that she thought she'd finally cracked the code to tackling Azalea's insomnia, so of course it shouldn't have come as a surprise to Severus that she slept poorly last night. She'd remained inside all day, after all.
"My mummy's sleeping," Azalea whispered quietly. "I—um, I didn't want to wake her."
"I see," Severus replied. He walked into the room and slowly sat himself down opposite to Azalea on his armchair. His eyes briefly flittered to the mess of papers, some blank, others not, on the table; but to his surprise, they weren't Lily's notes nor were they Harry's math solutions, they were filled with drawings and doodles.
"So, why did you come down here then?" Severus asked gently.
Azalea's gaze betrayed her words as she cast her eyes downwards to the table where her doodles and papers were arrayed messily. "I—um, I wanted to draw," she said.
"Ah. So, it seems that you like drawing just as much as your mother did when she was a child," Severus observed, a reminiscing smile on his face. "Mind if I take a look?"
Azalea nodded, so Severus reached down and picked up the nearest paper. At first glance, it looked like a mess of scribbles and lines that didn't make any sense whatsoever; it certainly didn't help that Azalea's drawing was only in pencil, the monochromatic nature of the drawing not helping him decipher what the drawing was in the least. He frowned, squinted, and peered closer; and what he saw led his eyes to widen and a hint of a smile curl his lip.
He flipped the paper around and showed its contents to Azalea. "Is this what I think it is?" he asked, smiling at her.
"What do you think it is?" Azalea replied, now smiling as well.
"A thunderbird," Severus said simply, tracing his fingers along what he presumed was the tail of her drawing…or perhaps it was the head.
Azalea's smile broke out into a grin and she nodded emphatically. "Harry always says he don't know what I'm drawing, I'm happy you do!"
"It's a very nice drawing," Severus commended. "And certainly better than what I can do, that's for certain. Do you keep these?"
Azalea nodded again, more spiritedly than before. "My mummy does. In our—in our old house, she put my drawings up in her room, she bringed some here too," she said.
Severus nodded. He set the drawing back down on the table and lifted another for his perusal, this looked like another thunderbird too, but it very well could've been another avian creature. "And does your father like your drawings?" Severus found himself asking without conscious thought.
Azalea hesitated, then nodded. "Daddy likes them, but he doesn't keep or hang them like my mummy does."
Severus hummed, inspecting the second drawing. "Would it be alright with you if I keep one of these? It's very nice and I think it'd look splendid on the wall in my office."
Azalea's eyes lit up brightly, her nod as fervent as ever. "You can have this one Uncle Sev!" she exclaimed, grabbing another paper out of the pile and holding it out for him to take.
Azalea's writing at the top of the paper was barely legible, but Severus could was able to deduce that she'd written 'FRANK,' only that the 'K' was backwards and the 'r' was lowercase. He accepted the paper with a smile.
"Thank you Azalea," he said kindly. He briefly checked his wristwatch and glanced back towards Azalea as she was grabbing a blank piece of paper to doodle on.
"Would you like breakfast soon? I can have Poesy prepare something for us if you'd like. I think your mum and brother will be up soon in any case."
Azalea, without lifting her gaze from the paper, nodded. "Yes please Uncle Sev."
Severus summoned Poesy and asked his house elf to prepare breakfast for the four of them in twenty minutes time and to brew a pot of coffee as well. Poesy nodded, then popped away to begin work on their meal. Once Poesy had gone, Severus turned his attention to Azalea.
"Frank will be coming by in a few minutes time, would you like to see him?" he asked.
"Just Frank?" Azalea asked timidly, peering up at him with her curious, brown eyes.
"Yes. Just Frank," said Severus, hoping it would assuage Azalea's worries. After meeting the elders last week, Azalea had grown a little less hesitant and nervous than she'd been before around the birds than before, particularly of the bigger birds that always seemed to scare her. There were two birds that she really got along with among the six elders, Frank and Elsie, who were the most patient and indulging with her nervousness. Elsie even allowed Azalea to stroke the underside of her head, bowing close to the ground so that Azalea could do so. That seemed to endear Azalea and Elsie to each other plenty.
"Okay," said Azalea, nodding. "Will my mummy and Harry come too?"
Severus shrugged his shoulders. "It depends if they can wake up on time or not," he replied truthfully. "If they're awake, then I'm sure they'll come with us."
Before Azalea could reply, the sound of footsteps, two pairs of footsteps, met their ears. Azalea perked up, her tiredness vanishing from her features in the blink of an eye as she trained her eyes and ears on the doorway. Not a minute later, a groggy-looking Lily, and an exuberant-looking Harry appeared in the frame. Lily was still in her pyjamas, her auburn hair tousled and messy, green eyes bleary and unfocused in her sleep-addled state. Harry, by contrast, was as wide awake as could be and ready to get the day started if his bright expression and cheery, upbeat smile was anything to go by.
"Morning Uncle Sev, morning 'z'lea!" Harry said spiritedly.
"Mornin' Harry," Azalea returned, grinning at the sight of her happy-go-lucky brother.
"Good morning Harry," Severus said calmly to the cheerful five-year-old. "And good morning to you too Lily," he said to Lily, who was wiping the bleariness from her eyes with one hand, while trying to tame her askew mane of hair with the other.
Lily covered up a loud yawn with the palm of her hand, and with one last wipe of her eyes, she smiled with as much geniality as she could muster in her tired state.
"Good morning Azalea, Severus," Lily replied, smiling at them both. "I'm surprised to see you up so early Azalea, slept well?"
Azalea bit her lip and shook her head. "I woke up a while ago mummy," she said despondently, her mood falling.
Lily sighed and flopped down onto the couch next to her. "I'm sorry pumpkin," she said gently.
"But I was showing Uncle Sev my drawings of the birdies!" Azalea said happily, holding up one of the papers for Lily to see.
That seemed to restore some of Lily's energy, for she sat up a little straighter and smiled. "That's wonderful dear, and did Uncle Sev like them?"
"Uncle Severus liked them so much he's even commissioned one of them for his office," Severus chuckled.
Lily's brows rose higher slightly. "Really?" Turning to Azalea, she asked; "Did Uncle Sev like your drawings that much? He must have taste similar to mummy then."
Hearing Lily's praise caused Azalea to smile proudly.
"Breakfast will be ready in about fifteen minutes or so," Severus announced. "In the meantime, I'm off to meet with Frank, do any of you want to come along?"
"I do!" Harry exclaimed immediately, smiling widely.
Lily and Azalea gave their more subdued assent as well. Severus briefly eyed Lily, Harry and Azalea's attire, noting that all three of them were still wearing their pyjamas.
"I suggest you three go up and get changed, Frank'll be here in ten minutes, roughly. Unless you want to remain on the porch that is—" Severus'd hardly finished his sentence before Harry dashed out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom.
Lily sighed and got to her feet, Azalea doing the same. "We'll be back down in a short while Sev," she said, grasping her daughter's hand and guiding her towards the door. "Quiet day ahead?"
Severus pursed his lips together for a moment, recalling his schedule for the day, then nodding. "Other than meeting with Frank and my usual evening rounds across the reserve, yes, I suppose you could say that. The rest of my day should be spent here, although I do have a floo call later in the morning before lunch," he replied.
Lily turned to face him briefly, a smile playing at her lips. "Would you have time for a driving lesson after you finish your call by any chance?"
"Indeed," Severus was quick to respond.
Lily's smile grew wider.
"Azalea run along and get dressed, I'll be right up," Lily said to her daughter. Azalea nodded quickly and scampered from the room as fast as her little legs could carry her. Lily then turned to face Severus once more wearing an inquisitive look. "And what would that something be?"
"You'll see. If I tell you now, it'll ruin the surprise," Severus chuckled. "But I promise you it won't take much of your time and it's well within the realm of your capabilities."
Lily didn't like where Severus was going with…whatever it was he was talking about, but she found herself nodding jerkily in response. "Sure. So…driving lesson before lunch?"
"At eleven," Severus clarified.
Lily nodded just once and excused herself from the room.
Lily, Harry and Azalea didn't take long to get changed, by forgoing their other morning rituals for the time being, they were back downstairs in five minutes flat and ready to head outside. Frank showed up minutes later, landing on the gravel flamboyantly, kicking up clouds of dust as he did so. Severus approached Frank, as did Lily, Harry and Azalea just a few paces behind him. Severus fed Frank his morning meal, just as the rangers were doing the same with the junior birds of the flock at the barn; Harry and Azalea also got to pet Frank after the latter gave his consent. Harry, and Azalea too—to Severus' surprise, both enjoyed petting Frank, especially when he released little jolts of lightning into their fingers when they stroked his crown. Harry found that particularly enjoyable, he laughed serenely as the lightning Frank released danced along his fingers. After Harry finished petting him, Frank took the skies once more, soaring away on the updrafts higher and higher until he vanished into the clouds. He released a large jolt of lightning just before Severus and Lily lost sight of him—the air around him fizzling with electricity as he disappeared into the clouds.
Once he was gone, Severus sighed and shook his head. "Always one for the dramatics," he muttered, though not without a hint of genuine affection.
"He does like his theatrics doesn't he?" Lily mused aloud, her eyes still staring into the sky at where she'd last seen Frank.
"It's all harmless at the end of the day, and he's awfully good at dealing with the flock so I let him get away with it," Severus replied with a mirthful chuckle.
"Yes, well, I for one think it's rather endearing," said Lily, in reference to Franks' theatrics.
The rest of the morning following their meeting with Frank passed by fairly mundanely. They headed back inside after Frank'd left for a meal prepared by Poesy, during which they discussed their plans for the day. After breakfast, Severus had a scheduled floo call with one of his suppliers thus confining him to his private office for much of the morning. Lily on the other hand supervised Harry and Azalea's studies, the former practicing his addition and subtraction, and the latter making good progress on counting up to fifty. Lily also managed to get some reading done for her anti-Fiendfyre charm, poring through some of the books that Severus'd lent her and jotting down notes in the margins. They were still on for Lily's driving lesson at eleven, but as the hour approached, Lily was growing increasingly concerned with the loudening voices ringing out from Severus' office. At a quarter to eleven, Lily told Harry and Azalea that they'd studied enough and were free to play for the rest of the morning until lunchtime. Upon seeing their mother's serious expression, both Potter children frowned with concern but didn't voice a word of complaint and scampered from the room. Lily distantly heard the sound of her children rushing up the stairs to their rooms, but quickly focused her attention on Severus' office. The sound of raised voices coming from inside only grew louder as Lily tiptoed closer.
Lily trod lightly up to the door and pressed her ear against the wood, she heard the telltale whoosh of air signifying the end of a floo-call, and a muttered expletive of; 'fucking twat' pass Severus' lips. A resigned sigh came next, then the sound of a body collapsing into a leather-clad armchair. She tentatively raised her hand up to the door and knocked, a muffled; 'come in,' rang out from within. Severus was sat in his chair, rubbing at his temple with his thumb, slumped over with his elbow on the desk.
"I'll be out in five minutes Lily, I haven't forgotten about your driving lesson, just…give me a minute or two," Severus muttered without even bother to raise his head from his palm.
"I—right, okay, yeah, I'll just, I'll pull the car around if that's okay," Lily stammered.
Severus gave a dismissive wave of his palm, then groaned in annoyance. "That's fine. See you out there," he said tersely.
Lily nodded and left the room as quickly as she'd come, that is to say, very quickly. Before leaving the house, she summoned Poesy and instructed the trustworthy house-elf to alert her if something happened to Harry or Azalea. Poesy gave Lily her word that she'd do so promptly, her promise assuaging Lily's concerns for the time being. She quickly made her way to the foyer, and after grabbing the keys to the Mustang from the table, headed outside and to the garage. A flick of her wand opened the garage door, allowing Lily to enter and unlock the Mustang. The metallic-blue and white-striped Mustang sat behind the door in all its glory, bring a smile to Lily's face as she walked towards the driver's side door. She unlocked the car and switched on the ignition, the engine coming to life with a low, growl. Putting the car in gear, Lily drove it around the front of the house and parked it again.
With the engine humming at idle, Lily waited for Severus to make his appearance. He eventually did a few minutes later, wearing a scowl and a sneer that reminded Lily all too well of how Severus used to be back when they were teenagers at Hogwarts. Severus had a mighty temper back in the day, with moodiness to match that seemed a permanent fixture on him for all seven years they'd gone to school. In the here and now, Severus looked much the same, his hunched figure and his wicked scowl reminding Lily that her old friend hadn't managed to shed all his spots from his old persona. Severus yanked open the passenger-side door with more force than was strictly necessary and dropped himself down into the passenger seat without so much as a word of greeting. Lily sat there in silence, not sure what to say, or do, or even if it was alright if she said anything.
"Um—Severus…if you're not feeling well, we don't have to do this now—"
"—I'm fine, just drive and get on with it, I'll supervise," Severus muttered, his eyes narrowed and harsh, glaring a whole through the glovebox as if it'd personally slighted him.
Lily pursed her lips and shook her head. "I'm not driving if you're going to act like this," she said firmly. The resolve and strength of her statement finally convinced him to look at her, though his sidelong glance was only fleeting.
"I swear I'm fine Lily—just—"
"Severus," Lily said in a low growl. "Seriously. You're not acting normal and I at least want you to be honest about that. Can you tell me what's bothering you?" she added in a more gentle tone of voice.
Severus groaned, anger giving way to apathy as his head fell forward into his palms, elbows braced on his knees. "A partner of mine—a supplier who I purchase much of my birds' medication from, he—he wants to double the price at which he's selling me suppressants," Severus muttered.
"Suppressants for…"
"For their lightning," he explained. "Some thunderbirds have a condition that…that they don't have as much control over their lightning as others do, it's erratic…untempered, dangerous. For themselves and those around them. I have three birds in my flock with that condition, Patricia, Liam and Thalia; they can't control their lightning anywhere near as well as the rest, so they take suppressants that my supplier sells me in order to not shock themselves, the other birds, the rangers, or me. It's…it's vital to their health and safety."
"What's the condition called?" Lily asked. Her hands had left the steering wheel, one placed in her lap, the other gripping Severus' loosely.
"Lightning Regulation Disorder, or LRD if you want to call it that," Severus muttered. "It's a terrible condition Lily, terrible, if they don't get their suppressants once a day, they can very easily lose control of their lightning and kill themselves or those around them." Severus felt Lily's fingers tighten around his, a quiet gasp passing her lips as the severity of his words dawned upon her.
"If their lightning got out of control," Lily began in a small, timid voice. "They could die?"
Severus nodded heavily. "And those around them would be at risk too," he said despondently. "And now, Dennis Peterson, the absolute fucking, twat that he is; wants to double the price of the suppressants, and I've got no choice but to go along with it and the fucker knows it."
"He sounds like a right bastard, this Peterson fellow," Lily breathed, her anger rising along with Severus'.
Severus gave a hollow, mirthless laugh. "He most certainly is. But because of the importance of the medication he sells me, he knows he's got me by the balls and can dictate the price he sells his goods at with impunity. The bastard knows I've got no one else to turn to buy lightning suppressants from, and he still has the audacity to pull shit like this."
Lily's hand rose to gently squeeze Severus' shoulder as he gave another despondent sigh. "At the new price Peterson wants to sell them…I can still afford the suppressants, but I'll be paying an arm and a leg for 'em. Every time I speak with that smarmy fucker I come across new reasons to hate that son of a bitch."
"I'm sure you'll figure something out Sev," Lily said quietly, removing her hand from his shoulder and placing it on the wheel. "We'll figure it out. I'm sure that with some convincing, Dennis Peterson will see some reason."
Severus laughed again, even more hollow and despairing than before. "Knob heads like Peterson don't see reason Lily, all they see is greed and excess. The bastard won't be swayed from his greedy, selfish ways. He'll never change."
Lily couldn't bring herself to disagree with Severus' sentiment, she'd met more than enough men and women over the course of her life to know that people like this Peterson fellow he was so scathingly describing often weren't capable of change.
"Maybe he'll need some coercion," Lily muttered under her breath, too quiet for Severus to decipher.
Severus threw her a scrutinizing look, but didn't say any more on the matter as he turned his gaze back towards the road and said; "drive."
Lily swiftly put the car in gear and set off down the dirt road. They drove along through the fir forest of the reserve in silence, Lily keeping her focus on the bumpy road whilst Severus maintained a watchful eye on Lily's technique, ensuring that her driving was sound. He directed her out of the reserve and onto the main road that lead towards the interstate, Lily dutifully followed his instructions. Lily had driven on the interstate on a handful of occasions before, after having never driven on the highway back in England, it certainly felt a little bit daunting to be driving at much higher speeds than she was used to. Now though, she was perfectly at home driving on just about any asphalt surface and would soon be learning how to drive off-road too once Severus deemed she was ready.
"So, what's your morning been like?" Severus said once they were rolling along at seventy on the highway.
"Not too eventful," Lily replied, without taking her eyes of the road. "Harry and Azalea were doing their maths, and I got some research done on my charm. Overall, just a quiet but productive morning."
"I'm glad to hear at least one of us was productive," Severus replied with a hint of jest in his tone.
Lily only rolled her eyes but refrained from giving Severus a sardonic look.
"Y'know funnily enough…Azalea doesn't really like sharing her drawings with many people, did you know that? She's…only let a handful of people have them in the past."
"I wouldn't have guessed," Severus replied earnestly. "She didn't seem all that bothered when I had a look through them this morning, quite the opposite actually. She seemed quite enthused to share her artwork with me, which was surprising."
"Yeah, that's what I was getting to, it means she trusts you, and she…she doesn't trust all that easily, Azalea. She's only taken after a handful of adults outside of myself and James," Lily explained, her mouth curling into a smile. "So the fact that she trusts you…and is willing to share and not only that, but that she's eager for you to see her drawings and art is…it's great Sev."
Severus smiled briefly and leaned back in his seat a bit. "I guess I can expect a lot more of Azalea's doodles to line the walls of my office in the near future then, huh?"
Lily's lip curled upwards in agreement, a low chuckle reverberating out. "You'd better believe it. Now that Azalea knows you like her art, I won't be surprised to see at least two dozen of her drawings in your office within a month."
"Should I keep a look out for it?" Severus inquired, his brow raised.
"Definitely," said Lily, sporting a look of mock-seriousness. "Azalea started all this a few months ago, actually. One day, I went up to Azalea as she was sat at the kitchen table drawing on a piece of paper, I asked what she was drawing and if it was alright if I could keep one of them. Azalea's eyes lit up and thrust her drawing into my hands, it wasn't even complete yet but she was really happy that I was interested in her art." Lily paused, her smile growing broader as memories of her office back home growing more and more cluttered with Azalea's doodles played before her mind's eye. "Almost every day over the next month, Azalea came up to me each afternoon saying she had a drawing for me. Back then, she loved drawing unicorns and griffins, those were all the rage with Azalea since James 'n I had taken her and Harry to see some. But now…it seems as though Thunderbirds have her whole and undivided attention." She shrugged, then regarded Severus with a teasing look. "Azalea gave me two dozen drawings over the span of a month, I think you should expect a similar number to adorn your office in a month's time as well."
"I don't see how that's a bad thing though," Severus replied, wearing a look of contemplation. "The walls of my office are barren enough as it is, and if your daughter ever hits it big as an artist many years down the line, I can claim to have the largest collection of Azalea Potter art in the world."
He flashed Lily a self-satisfied grin, a look seldom seen on his face that in turn drew him a grin in return from her.
Once Lily's 'driving lesson' had concluded—it really was just an excuse for Severus and Lily to get out of the house and spend a little one-on-one time together, they returned back to the reserve for lunch. Severus announced he'd be busy for much of the afternoon and that he wasn't to be disturbed unless there was an emergency or something similarly dire. Severus' busy afternoon fit in to Lily's machinations just fine, for she could use it to fine-tune her plan regarding what to do with Peterson. When Severus went out later that evening for his usual evening rounds and to meet with the rangers, Lily would put her plan into motion; and when he returned, hopefully, all would be well and Dennis Peterson, the absolute twat, would see reason. In the meantime, while Severus toiled away in his office, Lily decided to continue her reading; although the subject of her perusal now wasn't Severus expansive collection of tomes, but some of the books and pamphlets he'd collected over the years detailing Flagstaff and the surrounding area. The afternoon whizzed by for Lily, but when Severus came out of his office at a quarter to six, Lily was more than ready to put her plan into action. If all went well, Severus'd come back to the delightful news that Peterson had gone back on his decision.
Severus left on his evening rounds with Harry and Azalea following him in his truck. This left Lily an hour-long window to put her plan into motion. Once Severus left the house, she snuck into his office, grabbed a pinch of floo powder, and tossed it into the fireplace. Feigning that she was Severus' new secretary and had some documents she needed to pass to Peterson was all too easy, and within minutes she was stepping through the floo into Peterson's office. Her draw might've slowed just a bit in recent years, regardless, Peterson hadn't a prayer of reacting in time and stopping Lily from stunning and binding him to his armchair. It was amazing, Lily learned, what the threat of a bone-liquefying curse could do to someone to make them come to reason. Within five minutes of 'negotiations', Peterson was made to sign an iron-clad agreement that he wouldn't price-gouge Severus, and that the suppressant's price would remain as it was from before their floo-call that morning. After verifying his signature, Lily left with a cryptic warning not to try something foolish like that again, and assured Peterson that the bindings would wear off as soon as she left through the floo. They didn't. The ropes remained in place for half an hour after the fact.
Before Severus returned from his rounds, Lily hid the contract she'd made Peterson sign in his desk, and hoped that come morning, or maybe even later that evening, he'd be pleasantly surprised by it. Just a few minutes before dinner, she heard the telltale grumble of a diesel engine from outside the house, heralding Severus' return. She switched off the television and headed outside onto the porch, just in time to see Severus helping Harry and Azalea out of the truck. They all seemed to spot Lily at the same time, smiles blossoming on their faces at the sight of her.
"Mummy!" Azalea squealed with delight. She dashed up the steps, nearly tripping the process, in her haste to reach her mother's side.
"Hello pumpkin," Lily cooed. She bent forwards and scooped her three-year-old up into her arms for a hug. "How was your outing?"
"It was really fun," Azalea replied, sinking into Lily's embrace and wrapping her little arms around her mother in turn.
"We saw some of the Thunderbirds shooting their lightning, it was really cool!" Harry elaborated, eliciting a raised brow from Lily.
"Really? And were you a safe distance away?"
"You should know better than to question me on matters such as safety," Severus said with faux-exasperation.
Lily only grinned in response. "C'mon in, Poesy's nearly finished up with dinner."
Harry was still stood by Severus' side, so he ushered the boy towards his mother. "I'll be inside shortly, after I park," Severus said.
Lily nodded and headed inside with Harry and Azalea tailing after her.
Severus then parked the truck back in the garage and headed into the house himself, were a hot meal, and a pleasant surprise awaited him.
Talk at the dining table was pleasant and light, Lily politely inquiring into Severus' rounds and if anything of significance other than the lightning show occurred. Severus shook his head and was quick to assure Lily that her children were entirely safe throughout, upon seeing the concerned look she wore. When Severus in turn asked after Lily and if she'd done much while he, Harry and Azalea were out; Lily replied that she'd just been setting some things straight and watching a bit of TV, which wasn't wrong, exactly. In any case, Severus hummed his idle acknowledgement, buying her misleading words. Later that evening after a sumptuous dinner, Severus still hadn't gone into his office, and was looking ever-less-likely to do so with each passing minute. Instead, he was quite content to enjoying the remainder of the evening and night in the sitting room watching some television. It would seem that Lily had successfully corrupted him and hooked him on television, something he'd seldom if ever watched as a child and a young adult beforehand. Harry's insistent pleading coupled with some puppy-eyes from Azalea soon meant that all four of them would be watching a movie that evening, something rated-G of course, which threw much of Lily's favorite shows out of the window.
Harry, Azalea and Severus plopped down on the sofa while Lily stood in front of the television set going through the channels to see what was on. Severus idly watched the static on the CRT-TV when a light prodding in his side drew his attention away and to the prodder, Azalea.
"Something the matter?" Severus asked, peering down at the wide-eyed Azalea.
"Tomorrow, can you draw with me, Uncle Sev?" Azalea asked, her lower-lip pouting and her eyes as wide as a doe's.
Severus smirked internally, she might've only been three and a half years old but Azalea was already well-versed when it came to using body-language to getting her way; he briefly entertained the thought that she might be a good Slytherin since her mother was intent on sending her and Harry to Hogwarts.
"You want me to draw with you?" Severus asked quietly, keeping his surprise from his tone but only just.
Azalea nodded fervently. "Uh-huh. My mummy says she's bad at drawing—"
"—I heard that," Lily muttered from over by the TV.
"—so she doesn't draw with me, can you?"
Her wide eyes, even though they weren't Lily's, ended up being his undoing. He caved. "If I'm not busy…I'll try to make time for it. We'll see."
"Really?"
The hope and genuine happiness in her voice made his next word all the more clearer. "Really."
Azalea's smile was blindingly bright, and before Severus could tell what she was up to, she was leaning closer and hugged Severus tightly. For a moment Severus froze, then returned Azalea's affection and hugged her back. Entirely oblivious to the interaction was Harry, who was focused on the TV as his mum flipped through the various channels. Unbeknownst to Severus and Azalea however, Lily was observing the entire interaction out of the corner of her eye. Lily eyed the two of them for only a brief moment, smiling to herself as witnessed her daughter's forwardness, proof of her opening up to Severus. Sighing happily, she turned back to face the television to continue flipping through the channels in search of something suitable for the four of them. Eventually, they found an older movie running on one of the American channels she'd come across earlier in the day. She'd only watched a little of the Marx Brothers growing up, but from what she could recall their brand of humor was mostly age appropriate for Harry and Azalea. She'd found the channel at an awfully good time since it looked as though the movie was only a few minutes in.
Satisfied, Lily set the remote down and walked across the sitting room to sit on the couch beside Harry, Azalea and Severus.
"Hmm, what's this?" Severus asked, blinking discerningly at the black-and-white screen.
"The Marx brothers," Lily said simply. Turning to Harry and Azalea, she added; "I watched a few of these movies when I was growing up, I think you'll understand some of it, Harry, and I want you to try follow along as well Azalea. Can you two do that for me?"
Harry nodded quickly, although his expression wasn't one of happiness or cheer for once, in its place was a look of determination and focus. Azalea nodded too, a little more hesitantly, but she was determined to do her best to please her mum, just like Harry.
"What's it about?" Azalea asked curiously, her gaze fixed on the television screen as monochromatic images flashed before her eyes.
"Pay attention and you'll find out, pumpkin, but I'm sure it's something you will enjoy," Lily answered. She gave her daughter an encouraging smile, one that Azalea mirrored before turning back to the screen.
Azalea did an admirable job of maintaining her interest in the movie until about the halfway point when slowly, sleep began to overtake her, dulling her senses, her focus, and her desire to see the movie through to its conclusion. She'd managed to string together that the movie was about horse racing, and that the main characters were very funny and made her laugh a lot. Beyond that though, she hadn't a clue; and Harry had only fared a little better than she. Unlike Azalea, Harry managed to see the film through to its conclusion, though by the time the credits rolled, Harry was dangerously close to succumbing to his fatigue like his sister. At the end of the film, Lily asked Harry to recount what'd occurred, and he did his best to convey his thoughts and ideas of what'd transpired in the film. He was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek and a ruffle of his hair; before being asked to head upstairs to his room to get ready for bed. Harry lumbered out of the room as slowly as a sloth, his movements undoubtedly slurred by his drowsiness. Once Harry was upstairs, Lily propped Azalea's head onto her lap and leaned back into the sofa.
"So, what'd you think of it Sev?" Lily murmured quietly after a moment of silence.
"It was alright," Severus answered truthfully. "I…did think the humor was a bit too on the nose for me, and the whole running gag of that one character—the one that played the—Harpo, yes; the gag of him not speaking wasn't to my tastes necessarily but it was an alright movie I suppose," he elaborated. "I happened to find the company I kept far more enjoyable than the entertainment," he added, parroting Lily's words from the week prior back to her.
A blissful smile curled Lily's lips upwards, the sparkle in her eyes rising through her fatigue. "Yeah, I liked the movie a bit more than you did, but I definitely enjoyed the company I was in more than the movie as well…Groucho."
Silence, Severus blinked, refocused his eyes on Lily. "Pardon?" he asked witheringly.
Her mouth curled even higher, her sparkling, green eyes brightening as she turned her head to stare back at him. "You heard me loud and clear, Groucho."
Severus huffed in exasperation and rolled his eyes at her…insult? He didn't even know what to call it. "If you paid any attention whatsoever to the movie Lily, you'd have noticed that Groucho wasn't all that much of a grouch at all," he said snidely.
"Yeah, well, neither are you, not now at least," Lily countered, careful to keep her voice low to avoid waking Azalea. "Besides, before you came out here when I last knew you, you were a textbook grouch Severus, don't even deny it."
"Maybe I still am," Severus jested, playing along with Lily's game. "Perhaps I'm still that same old—"
"No, you're not," Lily cut across him. He opened his mouth to retort but Lily's stiff glare was enough for him to purse his lips shut. "You can't fool me Sev. Yeah, you're still the same person, but you're definitely less grouch-like than you were when we were kids."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Seriously. Wait 'til you see me without coffee in the morning and reserve your judgement of how grouchy I may or may not be for then."
Lily had to slap her palm over her mouth to cover up the laughter she so desperately wanted to release, but she just about managed it; and most importantly, she hadn't woken Azalea.
Severus chuckled amusedly at her reaction and made to stand— "Wait Sev, hold on, don't go just yet, I—uh, wanted to discuss something with you."
Severus paused mid-motion and sat back down. "What is it now?" he asked with feigned exasperation, the teasing glint in his onyx eyes belying his tone.
"It doesn't have to be this week, or even next, but sometime in the near future…would you like to go to the Grand Canyon?"
Severus' lips twitched upwards into a little smirk, and from that little action Lily already knew what his next words would be. "I've already been. Twice as a matter of fact, it's only an hour and a half by car from here, did you know?"
"I did know that," Lily replied. "I was—um—well, I may or may not have been snooping through your collection of travel magazines and pamphlets this afternoon and that's how I came across it. One of these days I want to bring Harry and Azalea there so they can see one of the wonders of the world y'know? It's almost as though it's on our proverbial doorstep and I'm not gonna lie and say that I'm not keen on seeing the Grand Canyon as well, Severus. It really is something special, isn't it?"
"It truly is a wonderful sight to behold," Severus said sagely, confirming Lily's thoughts on just how magical it was to see the Grand Canyon in-person and not through a television. "Especially if you go at sunrise or sunset. Seeing the sun coming up over the horizon, casting rays over the Canyon is unlike anything else I've ever seen. I got to see it on my second visit a few years back."
"Wow that sounds utterly breathtaking," Lily breathed, the wonder and excitement in her tone palpable.
"Words wouldn't do it justice. You'd have to see it for yourself to truly comprehend what a magical sight it is," Severus said, confirming her thoughts.
"I'd be open to going next week if you'd like," said Severus, throwing Lily a sincere look. "I have nothing on my schedule for both Tuesday and Friday, minus my usual rounds in the evening. So, if you wanna go next Tuesday, I'd be happy to accompany you, Harry and Azalea there. You and your kids'll absolutely love it."
"Tuesday works well. Can we leave early so we can get there in time for sunrise?" Lily asked.
Severus frowned; his lips pursed together in thought as he thought over Lily's question. "Are your children used to side-along apparating?" he asked eventually.
Lily nodded proudly in response. "They can side-along. I—um, you'd have to show me the location though so I can take one, and you can take the other."
"That can be arranged," said Severus. "Just you wait, you, Harry and Azalea'll be treated to the most beautiful sunrise ever."
Lily's eyes softened as she gave her old friend a broad smile. "I'll certainly be looking forward to it.
She shifted slightly on the sofa but the motion seemed to rouse Azalea slightly, who stirred and lifted her head from her mother's lap with a groan. Lily reacted quickly to calm her daughter, stroking her hair and gently guiding her head back down onto her lap to soothe her. Severus shifted his gaze to Azalea's sleeping form, then back to Lily as she carded her hands through her daughter's auburn hair.
"Will you be alright with her?" Severus asked softly, mindful that Azalea was a light sleeper.
Lily hummed in agreement. "I'll be fine. Nothing a little magic can't solve." On cue, Lily summoned her wand from her jean pocket and silently cast Mobilicorpus on Azalea. The girl slowly levitated out of her mother's lap, lying in a supine position in mid-air as Lily herself got to her feet.
Severus stood to his feet as well and made to leave the room once more, but Lily's hand in his gave him pause. "I'll see you tomorrow Sev, and thanks for…for agreeing to come with me 'n the kids," she said softly.
"It's no problem," Severus said, his voice unexpectedly thick and disjointed. "None at all."
Lily offered him a soft smile to convey her thanks in more than words, then glided from the room with the levitating form of her three-year-old daughter in tow. For the rest of the night, Severus' thoughts ran rampant on just what he'd seen.
Was he just imagining things?
Or had there indeed been a flicker, just a hint and that's all, of something more in Lily's gaze. Perhaps it might've been a trick of the lighting, that'd explain it, one of the ceiling-mounted bulbs was going and need replacing anyways so that must've been it. While Lily hadn't exactly done anything, save for briefly glancing at him with a fond look to show him her gratitude, Severus felt as though there had been a shift, just a small one, in her eyes for that brief moment.
Severus didn't remain downstairs for long before returning to his bedroom to retire for the night. After all, he had an early morning drawing lesson with Azalea tomorrow and he didn't want to disappoint her.
A/N2: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Next up, a sunrise trip to the Grand Canyon, and a little discussion of the future with Severus and Lily.